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A teeny tiny audience

Batucada at the Island Bay Playcentre Fundraising Gala

This is the second year we’ve played at the Island Bay Playcentre fundraiser, and we really enjoy it. The audience may be small in stature, but they are large in enthusiasm – especially when they get a chance to have a go on our drums!

We did a 15-minute warm-up down the street outside the Empire Cinema (how sad that it’s closed down!), attracting a few curious onlookers as we played. Once we were fully warmed-up, we paraded along The Parade (how appropriate!) to the Playcentre, drumming as we went. Continuing to drum, we made our way single-file down the side alleyway and into the back garden, where we gathered in formation and completed our first piece, Samba Reggae.

The gig ended up being a lovely mixture of different elements. Tim spent some time introducing the band to the audience, and we took turns in demonstrating our instruments. He did a bit of a call-and-response game with the kids and their parents – they were very good – and then we did some call-and-response drumming with Tim. We also performed two or three of our set pieces, which everyone seemed to enjoy.

I think perhaps the bit that the kids enjoyed the most was playing our drums. Some were a wee bit shy to begin with, but once they’d got their confidence up they really went for it! It’s funny, there’s an assumption that perhaps we should play a bit more quietly for this particular gig, so as not to frighten the children – but I’m not convinced that that’s necessary – little kids love big noises!

We finished our performance with Six-eight where we do a 360 degree turn every fourth bar while still playing – it’s very visual and fun to watch. It was a great day and a very good cause that we’re very happy to support.

Photo gallery

Click on any thumbnail to see the larger version. All photos by Alan Shuker: